Around The Mall In One Night
by Seis Fleur
Summary: The six friends woke up in the mall one night only to find they're trapped inside for unknown reasons. No one remembers what happened before, and they're trying to find a safe way out and put all the pieces together. Pairing: Beck/Jade.
1. The Bookstore

**Sorry for the cheesy title. I had an idea going around in my head and I just had to write it down, hahaha. Beck/Jade pairing, as always.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE: THE BOOKSTORE<strong>

Slap. Slap. Slap.

"Tori, wake up!"

Tori opened her eyes, regaining consciousness. Another slap landed on her cheeks.

"Tori, wake up!"

"I'm already up!" Tori said loudly, and realized she was lying on the floor. Her head was throbbing, and in front of her very eyes was a familiar figure. She was surrounded by darkness, only lights from the PearPad held by the figure enlightened her view.

"Good. My hands hurt from slapping you awake. You have hard, sharp cheekbones."

"My cheekbones aren't sharp," Tori said, holding her cheeks. She recognized the voice immediately. "Anyways, you could've just wake me up with a… more decent way, Beck."

"I'm sorry that you were sleeping like a log." Beck responded, tapping the screen of his PearPhone so that the backlight would not go out so quickly.

"Where are we? Why is it so dark?"

"Apparently, we're in the bookstore. And it's past midnight, so there's no sun."

Tori sat up, leaning at the nearest bookshelf in hope that nothing would be able to surprise her from the back in the darkness. Yes, she believes in ghosts. "Why are we in the bookstore at midnight?" She asked, confused.

"Actually, I was hoping you could give me the answer." Beck sighed. "I don't know either. You don't remember what happened?"

Tori shook her head. "We're still in the mall, right?"

"Yup, we're still here. I don't want to open the lights because it would attract attention from outside. But I've managed to open the lock on the roller shutter while you were sleeping-"

"I wasn't sleeping!" Tori slapped Beck's shoulder.

"Unconscious," Beck corrected quickly. "So we could get outta here."

"Ah, you and your lock picking skills," she complimented quietly, pretending Beck wasn't there. "Wait, we aren't the only ones here, right?"

Beck shook his head, although he knew Tori wouldn't be able to see his response in such darkness. "Let's look for Cat, Andre and Robbie. Maybe they know what happened… Or at least remember."

"Okay." Tori got up on her feet, and grabbed on Beck's sleeves as he guided her to the entrance of the bookshop. She wanted to add Jade when he mentioned the names of their friends, but she would rather stay quiet. Beck would probably want to look for Jade too anyways, even when he didn't mention it.

They crawled through the opening of the roller shutter doors before Beck slammed it back. The dim lights from the wall-hung lamps of the mall illuminated the area. They're at the first floor of the huge mall. And they knew somewhere in the mall, Cat, Jade, Robbie and Andre are probably trying to get out – or at least wake up.

She couldn't help but wondering though, what happened?

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><p><strong>I'm sorry it's short and non-poetic or whatever. Just something I had to do, before the scene faded from my head, haha.<strong>


	2. The Supermarket

**CHAPTER TWO: THE SUPERMARKET**

Jade decided to grab some coffee, a cold can of coffee to be absolute. Her head spins like crazy, it felt like one of those ocassional hangover she wake up with after drinking games with her friends. Only this time, Beck isn't waking up beside her, groaning and everything.

_Oh jeez, Beck. Why do I had to think of him?_

She emptied half the can, gulping them fast. She knew she was totally messed up, but at least her clothes were still intact. She couldn't care less why she woke up there, especially there, but she knew where she is - the cold part of the supermarket. She could see, at least, the place is dimly lit with those mini fluoroscent bars in the fridges and the refrigerated area - where yogurts, cheese, milk, juice and cream sat obidiently, blanketing themselves with the cold air.

Jade suddenly felt like she wanted a shot, a tequila or anything strong. Jack Daniels perhaps. But where could she find one in a place like this? She's surrounded by everything healthy and close-to-vegan.

Crunch.

Jade turned, sitting still. She heard crisp crunches, and footsteps. Her eyes examined slowly through the dark area ahead of her. "If you're security, you can just come out now," she called.

Crunch.

"You know I can hear you!" Jade called again, her tone of voice speaks of annoyance.

Crunch.

She grabbed another can of unopened coffee from nearby, and flung her arms, throwing it randomly, in hope that she got a scream of pain in return. That's Jade West for you, like a fearless ghostbuster or werewolf hunter.

"You're not that good at aiming," said a voice of from the dark. _But as aggressive as always_.

Jade sighed. "Oh, it's you."

"What, you're not happy to see me?" Andre Harris walked closer, his face is now fully visible with the help of the dim lights behind Jade. He was holding a bag of chips, and he finished half of its contents already. "Chips?" He offered.

"Coffee," Jade replied, raising her coffee can. "Aren't you a thief," she scoffed, a slight curve appeared at the end of her lips. Andre is spontaneous, but she would never expect him to take what isn't his, especially of a place like Tesco.

"I left some cash where I got this."

Jade gave a short laugh. "Thought so."

"Actually, I didn't. I don't have any cash with me."

Jade glared at him, as if telling him _you don't need to say that. Dude._

"It just felt good saying I left some cash… You know…" Andre is now talking as if pointless.

"So you're a thief," Jade justified, laughing again. "So tell me, Andre, why are we here?"

"Eating chips and drinking coffee," Andre answered. "I woke up thinking the same. I thought you knew."

Jade sighed again, rolling her eyes. "I don't know. But I'm glad it's you. Rather than Tori, or Robbie, or even Cat, she's always clueless."

Andre laughed. "D'you think the others are somewhere here too? I bet one of them must know what's goin' on."

"Yeah, I can't remember anything at all. You want another coffee?" She offered, as Andre sat beside her, joining her on the floor. With the others, he would've panicked, finding himself trapped in the giant supermarket, but Jade made things calmer, like it's not a big deal at all. She's never freaks out, she only gets angry and happy and enjoying others' misery, that would seem like the only emotions she ever learned.

And after all, they're in a supermarket, with loads of food and beverages to indulge in without paying a single dime – if they could get away with it. Andre could give a few minutes more, half an hour perhaps, before looking for the others.


	3. The Bakery

**First and foremost, thanks for the reads (and reviews). Really appreciate it, really really.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE: THE BAKERY<strong>

Cat poured the last contents of the beaten mixture into a little round shaped cake tray before putting it into the oven. She hummed a rather jazzy tune, and as she slammed the oven door shut, she heard sounds of groaning from her friend, whose sat on the kitchen chair with his head rested on the counter.

"Oh Robbie, you're awake!" She said, pouring a glass of milk for herself.

"My head hurts…" He said, trying to regain consciousness. He sat straight up, and reached for his pockets. "Cat?"

"Mm hmm?"

"Have you seen my glasses?"

Cat laughed. "They're right in front of you, silly."

"Oh." And after the glasses, he realized he was surrounded by metallic cabinets filled with pastry ingredients, cooking utensils and kitchen furnishings as well as all the necessary kitchen appliances. The familiar room colour theme helped Robbie to guess correctly where the two are – the kitchen of Cat's favourite bakery, The Seasons. "Are we in The Seasons?"

"Yes, we are." Cat took a sip of her milk, and sat on a tall stool beside the bespectacled ventriloquist. "That's yours." She pointed to a tall glass of milk in front of him on the counter.

"Thanks," he replied, dragging the glass towards him. "Why are we in The Seasons?"

"I thought you knew." Cat chuckled. "I just made cake, but you can't have them now because it's not ready yet. Do you want cupcakes instead?"

Robbie shook his head. "What time is it?"

"They're chocolates," she offered politely. Robbie had expected that from Cat, being clueless and slow. But he decided that if naïve Cat Valentine is safe and baking, he would be fine too. He still couldn't help but wondering how on earth he could wake up on the kitchen counter with Cat, baking. _And what time is it anyways?_

"What time is it, Cat?"

The little redhead raised her shoulders. "I don't have a watch. But the clock said its 1.27 AM," she said, pointing to a large digital clock hanging on the wall of the kitchen.

"What?" Robbie jumped. He sprang on his feet immediately. His mother would've been furious if she found out his son is out of bed at this hour. He walked quickly towards the fire-rated door, the only door in the kitchen – if you don't count a door-sized open entrance – and twisted its knob.

His efforts of opening the door failed, he realized it was locked from outside. He sighed, trying to push it once more, but the door remained shut. Robbie fixed his glasses, and headed to the entrance that connects the kitchen with the rest of the bakery.

"It's also locked in front," Cat said loudly, but Robbie ignored her. It's a gigantic aluminium roller shutter door right ahead of him.

"Nice." Robbie sighed. "Damn, I wished I know how to pick a lock."

Cat watched Robbie enter the kitchen again, but this time, he browsed through the utensils. The clinking brass and silver utensils made a loud, annoying noise. "What are you looking for?"

"Something to pick the lock from inside."

"But you don't know how to pick a lock."

"At least I can try, right? Or else we have to wait until morning to get out of here. And I think that'll cost us explaination too, which I couldn't offer because I really don't know what's going on or how we ended up trapped here, Cat."

Cat gasped a little. She expected Robbie to panic without the effort of thinking or coming up with a solution, at least that's the Robbie Shapiro she knows. That very moment, Robbie was acting a little less panic and a little more manly, Beck-like. _Is he trying to impress me, or something? Maybe he's really panicking inside?_

"Calm down, Robbie. Maybe there's a spare key somewhere." Cat smiled, sipping her milk. "That's your milk."

_Spare key_. For a girl who thinks tigers should be purple and bouncing trampoline slippers are fun to wear, Robbie thought she was being reasonable this time. _Maybe Cat actually knows where the spare keys are. After all she had been so calm and even baked a cake._ Robbie grabbed his milk, the one Cat had prepared for him. A long sip of his drink calmed him down a little.

"Time to make the icings!" Cat clapped joyfully. She got up from her chair and grabbed a clean bowl and a spatula. She poured the contents she needed – icing sugar, colouring, egg, a few drops of lemonade – and started beating them up, humming a rather merry melody.

She glanced at the clock. Five minutes before her cake is ready, or at least five minutes before the cake is proposed to be ready. She smiled, putting the apron she was wearing back to where she got it. Suddenly, she felt an arm hugging her around her shoulders. Robbie stood close to her on her right, smiling. He squeezed Cat, pulling her closer, giving her a kiss on her lips.

She giggled, pushing Robbie playfully.

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><p><strong>How was that? Haha. It wasn't meant to be a CatRobbie, after all they're just friends. There's an explanation as to why Robbie acted that way, anyway. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. (:**


	4. The Cellphone

**Hello, sorry for the late update - I've been busy and my mood has been a little out of place, yeah I know everyone hates when it happens. Sorry if this update is a little short, but I've done the best I can, so _arigato gozaimas_, _merci boucoup_ and _terima kasih_ for reading (:**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR: THE CELLPHONE<strong>

"You know the bookstore's a huge place… With a lot of aisles and everything. Are you sure the others aren't there too?"

Tori didn't like the idea of being the only one stuck with Beck. Not that he's troublesome or weak or not helpful. Beck is a lot of help and very useful, but sometimes, he doesn't tell things, especially things that she needs to know. Like, what's his next move? Where's he aiming? What's in his mind? Tori couldn't tell either that boy does things spontaneously, or keeps a breakout plan for himself and just let Tori be the little duckling who follows his back.

"Nope." Beck sat on the mosaic bench right next to the escalator ascending towards the upper floor, and sighed. He shook his head, acknowledging the pain in his head. "Gosh, my head hurts." He took out a cigarette and lighted it.

Tori looked at him, speechless, resting her hands on her hips. She was always queen panic, and putting up with the ever calm Beck seemed to challenge her patience. "Dude, why are you sitting down? We gotta find the rest and get out of here!"

"Tori," Beck held her, trying to calm her down. "I'm really sorry, but my head hurts bad. Let me just rest for a while and we'll go find the others, right?" He looked at his watch. "One fifty in the morning. There's no need to rush."

"Fine." She sat beside Beck, trying to avoid the snakelike cigarette smoke coming from himself. "I didn't know you smoke."

"I recently started smoking again."

"Since when?"

"Since I didn't open the door after Trina jumped on me and attacked me like a sea elephant."

Tori wrinkled his forehead, confused. "Is there even such a thing called sea elephant?"

"Dunno," Beck raised his shoulders. "Encyclopaedia? Bookstore." He pointed towards the bookstore they had just escaped from.

"I am not that curious." Tori sighed. "Well…"

"Well?"

"Do you regret it? Not opening the door?" She summoned her courage to ask. "I mean, not that I'm nosey or anything-"

Beck shook his head. "I don't know. I don't want to think about it."

They fell into silence for a few seconds, Tori trying to fan off the cigarette smoke from reaching her. Beck tried his best to blow downwards, so that it would not bother her. Feeling the silence is a little awkward, she started talking again. "How are we going to find them in this huge mall? They could've been unconscious too and they could've been inside those locked roller shutters."

"Are you underestimating my power of lock-picking?"

"And unlock every store? That's just crazy, we can't make it until the morning!"

Beck took out his phone. "Have you forgotten technology?" He searched through his phonebook and dialled Cat's number. Unfortunately, after a few tries, she wasn't answering. He tried Andre's, but it seemed like his phone is dead. And Robbie isn't picking up either. Whatever happened to those guys? He wondered. He was left with one last option – his ex-girlfriend, Jadelyn West.

"Tori, could you take out your phone?"

"Yours running out of battery?"

"Nope, it's your number. Try and call Jade's cell."

Tori winced. "Eh, okay. But I doubt she would answer if it's my number."

"Better chances then having her ex-boyfriend call her, anyways."

She dialled Jade's number, and to her delight, the tone was on, and someone picked up the phone. "Talk."

And yes, it does sounded like her goth friend, Jade. "Jade? Where are you?"

Tori heard giggles, she was sure it wasn't a reply and Jade giggling is as rare as a polar bear on a tropical island. "Jade?" She repeated.

"Andre, get off the floor you idiot!" Tori heard Jade yelled at the end of the line, but surprisingly, it was obviously Jade's regular speech, but a cheerful tone added, something tells Tori that Jade is actually having fun like a regular teenage kid.

"Pull me up then!" Andre's laughter was heard. Tori was even more curious now.

And then she heard a crash, the line died. Tori placed her cellphone on her palm, turning at Beck.

Beck threw his cigarette butt into a nearby dustbin. "So, what did Jade say?"


	5. The Jade's Wonderland

**Hi (: I'm sorry for being MIA. I have one more test left. Felt like I owe you readers a lot, so I decided to write a short Chapter tonight. Do enjoy, and thanks so much for reading! (:**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE: THE JADE'S WONDERLAND<strong>

Andre sat on the cold tiled floor of the supermarket. He was pretty much out of breath. He wondered how could Jade have more stamina than him, she didn't seem like someone who would walk on a treadmill every day nor did she do sports. Perhaps she was feeling too excited and joyful to be trying something that she have never done before.

Joyful? Jade? These words never came in a positive sentence. Except tonight, perhaps.

"Aah come on. Are you tired already?" The fair-skinned goth smiled in between her little whines. She stood by a gigantic, two-storey shelf of children's tricycle, trying to keep in balance. This was the first time she had ever put on roller blades on her feet in ten years. And she seemed to enjoy it.

"Yeah, pretty much. We skated 'round the whole supermarket," Andre said, half laughing. To be honest, he enjoyed being around her like this. This was the other side of Jadelyn West that he accidentally fell in love with a while ago. He wondered if Beck made this the reason why he stays with Jade – Beck probably brings out this side of Jade when everyone else isn't around. Her priceless laughter and that rare sincere smile that says I'm-having-fun.

But that was just Andre's assumption.

"Who was on the phone?" Andre asked, loosening the laces to his rollerblades so that he could free his feet from the unpaid sports item they picked out of anywhere in the huge supermarket.

Jade sighed. "Oh, just Vega."

"She must be lookin' for us," he said, taking out his cellphone from his pocket. "No wonder she called you out of everyone. Mine died."

"Yeah, I'm not thrilled either."

"C'mon, call her back. Ask her where she is, then let's get out of this place together."

"No," Jade said firmly. She had her rollerblades off, and now back in her Doc Martens, she stepped on a black skateboard she threw in front of her. "Hey, Andre, you know how to ride this thing?"

"No. Jade-" Andre was trying to get back to topic, but Jade cut him off again.

"No tips and tricks?"

"Jade," he got on his feet. "Let's call her and get outta here. We're not supposed to be here anyways at this time of the day. Or night."

Jade folded her arms on her chest. "Five seconds ago you don't have these senses knocked into you. This is why Vega's a bad luck." She held her phone on her hand. "I'm not gonna call her though."

Andre sighed in relief. "Sokay, you don't have to. I'll make the call." Andre reached out his hand to get the phone from Jade, but she quickly shoved into her top through her neckline, presumably holding it inside her clothes in between lower cleavage. "Jade!"

"I don't want to go just yet!" She yelled, though not that loud, taking a step back. "I'm finally having fun and enjoying myself for once since the horrible breakup!"

He didn't answer, surprised at Jade's reaction. Though it's true, she smiled at Tori's torture, or Sinjin's misery, and she laughed when Robbie cries. But those smiles are different, but the hatred for these fellows is the roots. These, the one Andre witnessed while they rollerblade around the groceries, rations, toiletries and households, are genuine ones. The one that made her looked as innocent as Cat.

"He's stuck in my mind every second of the day, Andre. The only time that went by without me thinking about him, after the break up, was tonight, since I woke up mysteriously in this place. You know. Finally."

"I… I didn't know it was that hard for you."

Jade sighed. She frowned, and leaned on the shelf. "It didn't seem like I was mourning my relationship, right."

"I thought it's natural for you to be cranky. You're just a little crankier than usual."

Jade didn't smile. She sighed again, kicking the rollerblades towards a corner, as if secretly throwing anger through the kick.

"I'm sorry, Jade."

"What are you sorry for? You idiot."

"We've been friends since more than two years. Our circle of friends started more than two years ago. And yet I couldn't even tell what you were going through. I failed as a friend."

"Yeah, you really do." Jade meant that to be a joke.

He smiled, understood. "Let's stay a lil' longer here. I wanna try some skateboarding too!"


	6. The Ladies Washroom

**I'm sorry it's short. I'm very busy (and too depressed to write haha) so I had a little gap of free time so I thought I should update. Thanks for reading! (:**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX: THE WASHROOM<strong>

Cat was crying.

Her high-pitched, silent cry echoed in the ladies washroom. She was sitting on a closed cover lid of the toilet seat in the middle cubicle of the washroom, sobbing and wiping away the tears from her eyes.

Robbie was outside the cubicle in the ladies washroom, listening to her sobbing. He leaned on the marble tiled sink, sighing deeply. "Cat. Cat please stop crying." His tone was a mixture of nervous and a little – how shall I put this – like an older brother who had just caught her little sister kissing some punk in the alley.

"Go away, Robbie!"

"Cat, please come out." Robbie realized himself isn't that good in consoling a person in tears, because out of everyone he hangs out with, he's _the one_ who always easily ends up crying – Cat would just normally scream, run or even, faint. But there's a crying Cat in the toilet cubicle, normally Jade would be the best in handling this, but Jade isn't anywhere.

Neither is his phone.

"Cat."

"I don't wanna come out." _Sob_. "You'll scream at me again."

"I'm not gonna scream at you Cat-"

"But you just screamed at me at the kitchen!"

"I'm sorry, Cat." Robbie said. "I will not scream at you, I promise. Please please please, come out, Cat," he begged.

Cat didn't reply. Robbie was hopeful. But still, Cat sat on the toilet, burying her face in her palm.

"Cat?"

"No."

"Cat, please come out. I'm alone here and I'm scared."

"Well then don't look at the mirror."

Cat's response raised the eerie feeling in Robbie. He aimed not to even sneak a glance into the huge mirror on the wall behind him. "I'm scared now Cat!"

"But I'm not scared!"

Robbie's eyes widened in realization of a quick solution for his fear of anything phantom in the washroom mirror. He walked into the cubicle beside Cat's.

"Robbie, are you still there?"

"I'm on your right."

"What are you doing inside?"

"Getting rid of my eerie feeling."

Cat didn't reply.

"Do you wanna talk?"

Still no reply.

"I'll stay here until you talk."

Cat reached for a cellphone in her pocket, which buzzed and vibrated indicating an incoming call. The cellphone flashed Tori Vega's name on the screen, and she place the cellphone on her lap, waiting for the buzzing to stop, and waiting for Tori to end her call.


End file.
